Penguins favored on the odds at Islanders on Tuesday night
The Pittsburgh Penguins look to continue their dominance over the reeling New York Islanders as they hit the ice as clear road chalk at the sportsbooks.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 3-0 in their last three games against the New York Islanders. The Penguins will try to complete the season sweep over their slumping division rivals on the road Tuesday night.
Pittsburgh is a -167 road favorite in Brooklyn at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Islanders hope to snap a three-game losing streak as +140 home underdogs.
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders
When: Tuesday, March 20, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn
Betting Line / Total: Pittsburgh -167 / 5.5 Goals
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins began a dominant 20-game stretch with a record of 16-4 with a 4-0 road win over the Islanders back on Jan. 5. That stretch came to an end with a three-game losing streak, but Pittsburgh was able to snap that skid with another win over the Islanders on March 3, starting up a new hot streak of 5-2 over its last seven games.
Currently sitting two points behind Washington for the lead in the Metropolitan Division and two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets in fourth place, the Penguins are in the midst of what will be a wild race to the finish line for the division title.
Pittsburgh has been far from a sure thing as a road favorite this season going 2-7 in its last nine instances as one per the OddsShark NHL Database.
New York Islanders
On Feb. 16, the New York Islanders had a somewhat respectable record of 29-25-6 after picking up back-to-back wins over the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. Since then, the Islanders have managed only one win, going 1-7-4 over their last 12 games for a moneyline meltdown of 1-11. The Islanders have allowed 17 goals over their last three games and at least four in five of the eight games they have played this month. New York ranks 31st in the NHL with a goals-against average of 3.6 goals per game.
Tuesday’s total is set at 6.5 goals. The OVER is 5-0 in Pittsburgh’s last five games as a road favorite.
There isn’t much of a reason to believe in the Islanders right now as their defense and goaltending has been in shambles. New York’s best shot at an upset these days is to outscore their opponent in a high-scoring game, but that style of play just so happens to be the one in which the defending champion Penguins thrive.
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